Thursday, March 10, 2011

Linda had been used to the drama of red.We wanted the same drama, but different! The new neutral is taupe-y , cooler , grayer tones. Neutral can still be dramatic when paired with the perfect contrasts. Warm brown sugar tones in the adjacent living room set the stage for the new contrast of the dining room; SW Warm Stone, my new favorite. It was actually her home, that years ago launched my love of SW Halcyon Green (really blue...). While trying to find a compliment and to offer some relief from the deep golds, I landed on this color as a selection for her great room, and have never looked back. I have used that shade in one variation or anther since that time. Oops, I got off track while singing the praise of SW Halcyon! Back to SW Warm Stone.

Keep in mind as you look at the progress that the room yet has to be striped, so the walls and furniture are all the same color! Even with all that SW Warm Stone, Linda is loving the transformation so far. Take a look!

Still dramatic while being neutral...

*Note the painted ceiling! Anyone who knows my design style knows I always spec the ceiling to be painted in the same color. Yes. The SAME color, dark or light. The same color. Try it!

Our draperies are going to be a gorgeous modern gray-blue floral punctuated with a fairly true white. I selected a soft white for the trim with the inspiration of the fabric. Once the trim started to be painted, Linda made a decision to soften it a bit more. The original color seemed too stark.Good call it seems. I'm loving the drama of this. You might review the original photos to see that the trim color was a deep gold. It's a fresh change-still, with drama!

In just a few weeks, I will arrive in Charlotte a few days prior to the High Point Furniture Market to help Linda complete the painted stripes. It will be a full day, but the change will be completed.

We purchased this vintage piece quite a few years ago and decided to make the brave change to---you guessed it, paint! Gotta love that SW Warm Stone. Ah hhhhh! (I always use satin for the finish on painted furniture.)

So there you have it, the most recent progress report on the Restyle Charlotte, NC project.

It will be fun to hear your opinions so far. It may be a week or so before the next report.